The Davis Cup in St. John's has these tennis players with their eyes on the prize

Tennis Canada shows off Davis Cup in St. John's

1 year ago

Duration 2:27

The trophy is touring the country following Team Canada's victory in 2022

One of tennis's most prestigious trophies made a stop Thursday at The Rooms in St. John's, where some of Newfoundland's up-and-coming tennis stars say it serves as inspiration.

The Davis Cup was won by Canada's men's team for the first time ever in November against Australia. The 110-centimetretall, 104-kilogram trophy represents the epitome of men's international tennis, with the top players in the world representing their nation each year.

"It's a very important tournament," 12-year-old Eva-Lynn Rice of Paradise told CBC News. "Canada won it this year, and they played against lots of great players from around the world."

Rice said seeing the trophy in person was very special, and she hopes Canada will make it a clean sweep by winning the Billie Jean King Cup one of the top prizes in women's tennis in November.

"I hope they win because it would be very inspiring for young people, tennis players. 'Cause you can achieve great things with lots of hard work, dedication and passion," said Rice, who has been playing tennis for six yearsand has dreams of playing in the 2025 Canada Games in St. John's.

Nancy Taylor, a former president of Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador, said it's a great experience to show young players the Davis Cup in Newfoundland.

"The Stanley Cup of tennis is what it is," she said with a laugh.

"It'sso inspiring for the younger generation to see what they can do. And we have some wonderful tennis players here in Newfoundland who are achieving great things, so it just makes people want to pick up a tennis racket all the more."

Tennis N.L. executive director Andy Ploughman hopes a player from the province will be on a future Davis Cup-winning team. He said he's excited to show off the province's tennis skills in 2025.

It's something players like Cruz Valoyes, 8, can work toward. Valoyes is especially proud of Canadian tennis players Denis Shapovalov andFlix Auger-Aliassime, who played key roles in the Davis Cup win.

"They work their butt off and they work hard," he said.

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